After establishing communications with Bibb, Martin made a successful landing in the 30-foot seas at 1004 (GCT) near the cutter. No sounds of any kind were heard but the deduction, from visual impressions, was that both ships had been torpedoed. Attempting various methods, including using a pulling boat and various rubber rafts from both the cutter and the flying boat, three passengers of the latter volunteered, only two hours before sunset, to attempt to make it to the cutter using one of the flying boat's small rafts. On 14 May Bibb was en route to Iceland as the flagship of Task Unit 24.6.2 with the USS Leary (DD-158) and USS Badger (DD-126). On 2 November 1969, She began the year 1971 by serving on Ocean Station Bravo, where she served from 3 to 26 of January. From April to August of 1945 she participated in the assault on Okinawa, surviving numerous kamikaze attacks. Bibb was underway again on 9 June 1943 as flagship of Task Force 66 in company with Ingham and six Navy destroyers and six French escort vessels. The New York section of the convoy began breaking off on the 26th, with Ingham, as senior escort with four Navy destroyers, and the rest of the convoy stood into Chesapeake Bay entrance. Sunk as an artificial reef off the Florida Keys on 28 November 1987, 2 x Westinghouse double-reduction geared turbines; 2 x Babcock & Wilcox sectional express, air-encased, 400 psi, 200 superheat. On the 22nd, two merchant vessels joined from Bone, Algeria. ; 1 x 1-pounder. Naval Forces, Vietnam, said: "The outstanding naval gunfire support provided by officers and men of USCGC BIBB (WHEC-31) to Advisory team 93, Kien Hoa Province in indicative of your devotion to duty and exemplary professionalism. Many of Bibb's crewmen leapt into the water to assist the nearly frozen survivors, and the cutter Ingham assisted. She was sunk as an artificial reef off the coast of Florida in 1987. A minute later at 0359 an enemy aircraft was sighted at a range of about 5,000 yards and about 1,000 feet in altitude. On 10 September 1945, the Commander, Mine Craft, shifted his flag to Terror, and the Bibb became relief flagship for RADM Arthur D. Struble, USN, newly appointed Commander, Mine Craft. The USCGC Bibb (WPG-31) was a 327-foot (100 m) Secretary-Class (also known as "Treasury Class") Coast Guard ship commissioned in 1936. Every branch of the military used asbestos during the 20th century. On the 18th Portent made a depth charge attack on the starboard quarter of the convoy. The Bibb closed eastbound trans-Atlantic convoy SC-101 on 30 September 1942, screening the seven ship Iceland bound sector SCL-101 which was breaking off and forming. On the 15th a destroyer escort fired across the bow of a fishing boat to keep it clear of the convoy after the fisherman had refused to follow orders. Four merchant ships were detached for Gibraltar and one joined just before the convoy changed course to stand through the Straits. On 2 October all ships were inside Grotta Point, Iceland, maneuvering for anchorages. On several occasions she was praised for her gunfire support. On 3 April 1943 Bibb left for Reykjavik and later got underway standing out of the harbor to form convoy ONJ-176, consisting of three vessels with USS Symbol (AM-123) in company as escort. On the 24th Bibb changed course to effect a rendezvous with convoy SC-105, joining the convoy on the 26th. One convoyed vessel detached for Horta, Azores on the 20th and two joined. The Coast Guard at War V: Transports and Escorts. The convoy arrived at New York on the 30th and Bibb moored at Brooklyn Navy Yard with an availability period until 10 June 1944. On 7 March 1944, Bibb departed Casablanca with Task Force 66 and on the 8th relieved the senior British escort in HMS Bittersweet of convoy GUS-32. Vessels joined the convoy at Gibraltar on the 10th. In the U.S. Navy, asbestos was considered so important that the U.S. government once mandated its use in shipbuilding. On the 20th a destroyer escort reported picking up Morse Code signals on their underwater sound gear, and an hour later Bibb picked up the same signals. Bibb Cutter File, US Coast Guard Historian's Office. That operation involved several different agencies including the Coast Guard, the Navy, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and others. The 327-foot cutters were designed to meet changing missions of the service as it emerged from the Prohibition era. x "K" gun depth charge projectors; 2 x depth charge racks. During this mission she destroyed eight structures and seven sampans and damaged 21 structures and 16 sampans. . I hope I never see another drowned man as long as I live.". depth charge on a doubtful sound contact, a school of stunned fish appeared on the surface. Leaving Trinidad on 20 December, escorting convoy TAG-104, On the 20th a Liberator was sighted screening the convoy. Vessels joined the convoy at Gibraltar on the 10th. The convoy proceeded toward Bizerte, where, on the 18th, the Bibb was relieved as escort flagship by HMS Pheasant and moored until the 20th. Seven similar "combat cutters" were built and named for secretaries of the United States Treasury. On the 15th USS. CG-71) was built at the Charleston Navy Yard, Charleston, South Carolina, and was launched in 1937. Bibb was underway on 9 November 1942 screening the right flank of a west bound convoy of eight ships. FS's: The Little Ships That Could: A History of the Campaigns in the Pacific and the Personal Experiences of the Author on the U.S. Army FS-268. The 327-foot cutters were designed to meet changing missions of the service as it emerged from the Prohibition era. On 7 February 1943, the U-402 torpedoed SS Henry S. Mallory, a troop transport, bound for Iceland, after the Mallory straggled behind the convoy. An hour later there were numerous red flares and shortly afterwards a lifeboat and raft ware sighted. Between 5 and 29 August 1971. On the 13th the Bibb set a course for Reykjavik and anchored there on the 25th, later that day proceeding to Hvalfjordur. When the Grand Banks cruises were discontinued on 27 January 1940 Bibb was then assigned duty with on the weather stations. She remained in South Boston Navy Yard until 16 January 1943 undergoing repairs to her hull and machinery. On 25 February the convoy dispersed in heavy weather with four escorts rounding up the stragglers. Five minutes later the ship on which the explosion had occurred sank, bow first. Anti-submarine weaponry was added in mid-1941 and under Executive Order of 11 September 1941, Bibb became eligible for transfer to the Navy by agreement between the Chief of Naval Operations and the Commandant of the Coast Guard. The ship was sunk in November 1987 just outside the coral reef tract, about six miles (10km) offshore of the island of Key Largo. From time to time on the voyage Bibb rendered medical assistance to crew members and to one German prisoner of war aboard the various convoyed ships. Robert Scheina. On the 16th all electric power on Bibb failed, the rudder jammed and the main turbines stopped. On 3 August 1942, Bibb, with escort commander in the cutter Ingham (WPG-35), was again on convoy duty. An hour later, another ship in convoy fired at an unidentified object and soon afterwards the lookout on Bibb reported a wake crossing the bow from port to starboard at a distance of about 500 yards, which faded. At the end of World War II, each Secretary Class cutter was returned to her peace-time makeup. Quartermaster Third Class Bill Batson, of Quincy, Massachusetts, reported: "We arrived on scene late in the afternoon of 1 November. Notable events involving Bibb include: 7 Feb 1943 USCGC Bibb picks up 202 survivors from the American troop transport Henry R. Mallory and 33 survivors from the Greek merchant Kalliopi that were torpedoed and sunk by German U-boat U-402 in convoy SC-118 about 600 nautical miles south-southwest of Iceland. On the 28 May 37 ships detached for Hampton Roads. $29.99. From 1946 to 1973. Executive Officer, LCDR Nicholas A. Forni. Later that year Bibb joined a destroyer squadron for the assistance of shipping in the North Atlantic. On the 2nd five merchant vessels joined the convoy from Algerian ports. On the 9th the Casablanca section, escorted by two destroyers, joined the main convoy. From 1946 to 1973, Bibb was stationed at Boston. During these visits, Dr. John Bulette, the on-board medical officer assigned to, She returned to Boston, where she was home-ported until October of 1973. Various members of the Task Force departed as escorts for detachments and others joined for temporary duty. The Bibb changed course to join convoy HX-227. In May-June 1958 she served on Ocean Station Echo and in July-August 1958 it was back to Ocean Station Delta. George M. Bibb (WPG-31), a twin-screw, steel-hulled Coast Guard cutter, was laid down on 15 August 1935 by the Charleston (S.C.) Navy Yard; launched on 14 January 1936; sponsored by Mrs. Byron. The breakdown had been caused by the tripping of circuit breakers on the main switchboard and within 35 minutes Bibb had again shifted to power steering. Bibb was under the command of Commander Roy L. Raney during the convoy battles to come. The next day she sighted the bow of the tanker and left it in sinking condition also. He returned to his unit after treatment and we expect him to recover completely.". On the 15th USS Edwards (DD-619) departed for Bermuda, her sound gear inoperative. The Tony crash dived into the stern of the USS St. George (AV-16) causing only superficial damage. The confidence the crew had in their captain seemed to be reflected in his pride and confidence in his crew.. On 2 September 1944, Bibb stood down Chesapeake Bay channel and departed for North African ports as flagship of Task Force 60, escorting, convoy UGS-53. Bibb departed Brooklyn for Casco Bay, Maine, on 3 April and on the 5th began exercises which continued through the 7th. Once the conversion was completed she was again classified as WPG-31. The 5th was spent covering the rear of the convoy. The USS Johnson (DE-683) detached temporarily from the task force on the same day and proceeded to Bermuda for repairs, rejoining on the 6th. The next day she had a sound contact and carried out an embarrassing attack, dropping two depth charges. 1945: 2 x 5"/38 (single); 3 x 40mm/60 (twin); 4 x 20mm/80 (single). The Bibb remained at anchor in Buckner Bay, Okinawa, during August, 1945, as flagship for Commander, Mine Craft, Pacific Fleet. A warning of the presence of unidentified aircraft was received on the 12th. 1, 35 38' N x 53 21' W and Station No. From 11 April to 2 May 1973 she served on Ocean Station Echo, serving there again from 12 June to 3 July that same year. On January 6th she left Port of Spain, Trinidad, escorting U. S. Army Transport S-17 to San Juan. On the 30th she departed Boston for Casco Bay, Maine. On the 13th the commander of Task Force 60 was transferred aboard USS Merrill (DE-392) relieving the Bibb as flagship. The plane had just flown over Tokashika Shima and was approaching the southern anchorage near Bibb. In 1984 she participated in a multifaceted law enforcement operation code-named "Operation Wagon Wheel" in the Caribbean. The Mallory had been torpedoed at 0600. She was joined by the Ingham. 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